Ontological (in)security and sustainability transitions: A theoretical perspective and future research prospects

• Ontological security is co-constituted by establishing routines, self-narratives, and trust. • Transition narratives, discourses, policies, or practices can be perceived as threats to people’s ontological security. • Ontological (in)security influences the dynamics of transitions. • Ontological insecurity affects the disposition towards transition repercussions such as backlash or resistance. • Political inaction and stalled transitions can impact ontological security in light of anticipated future consequences. • Further research should address the dynamic relationships between transitions and ontological (in)security and their implications for governance and policy mixes. This perspective presents the concept of ontological (in)security as an analytical lens to better understand implications of destabilization in sustainability transitions. As an essential human condition, ontological security functions as a firewall against destabilizing dynamics. It is a distinct type of security that connects individual and collective units of analysis and has not been addressed in the context of sustainability transitions. Building upon Anthony Giddens’ definition of ontological security as a sense of stability achieved through the establishment of collective routines and self-narratives, this work aims to unveil novel perspectives for transition theory by explaining underlying mechanisms of actors’ dispositions towards fundamental change and uncertainty in transitions. The previously ignored interactions between transitions and ontological security provide explanations for agents’ emotive responses and phenomena described as transition repercussions. This perspective offers (i) a foundational set of definitions of ontological security and insecurity based on a systematic literature review, (ii) a conceptual heuristic illustrating the relational interactions between transitions and ontological (in)security, and (iii) future directions for transition research to further harness the explanatory potential of ontological (in)security.